ISSN 2084–1418
The paper edition of the Anthropology of History Yearbook is the definitive version
2013, No. 2 (5), Genealogies of Culture
Marta Kargól
Staphorst on the Catwalk: The Inspiration of Traditional Dutch Costumes in Contemporary Fashion as a Form of Experiencing Local Tradition
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Keywords: the Netherlands, traditional costume, fashion, tradition, nostalgia
Abstract: Staphorst is a Dutch town inhabited by a traditional and closed community. Its inhabitants remain faithful to Calvinist religious values. A group of several hundred women still wears local traditional costumes as everyday clothing. In 2011, the designer Ricardo Ramos created a fashion collection inspired by costumes from Staphorst. The presence of Ramos and the success of his collection on catwalks around the world resulted in the inhabitants of Staphorst making their own cultural initiative. It consisted in creating contemporary outfits inspired by the local garments. For them, it was a way to experience the local tradition by means of artistic activities, and a form of participation in the local community life. A reconstruction of this case was possible due to participant observation, interviews, press and iconographic materials. The case was interpreted on the basis of the theories of experience and reflexive nostalgia. The main topic of reflection is tradition and the way in which it is interpreted and experienced by the local community.
About Author:
KARGÓL MARTA – ethnologist, historian, art historian, graduate of the Jagiellonian University and the University of Antwerp.
